Kadesh

Kadesh was an ancient city of the Levant, located on the Orontes River in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. It was founded sometime prior to the 18th century BC, and it came under Hittite influence between 1500 BC and 1285 BC, being subjected to numerous Egyptian military expeditions. It became one of the Canaanite cities which opposed Thutmose III's conquest of the Levant. In 1306 BC, Pharaoh Seti I conquered Kadesh, but Mursili II retook Kadesh and made it a Hittite stronghold in southern Syria. In 1274 BC, it was the site of a major battle between the Egyptian and Hittite armies, and, while the battle was inconclusive, Kadesh remained under Hittite overlordship. The Sea Peoples destroyed Kadesh in 1178 BC, and it vanished from history.